A leader in journalism education and research, the School awarded the first doctor of philosophy degree in 1934. Beyond teaching and administration, our doctoral graduates add value to corporations, media entities, strategic communication firms and other organizations through their research and understanding theoretical approaches. Doctoral students:
conduct research with world-renowned faculty,
collaborate with world-class scholars and professionals in journalism and strategic communication,
gain experience as an educator alongside award-winning faculty
The eight research areas of study prepare our doctoral students for careers in the academy and industry:
Big Data
Health Communications
Journalism Studies
Media History
Media Law, Ethics and Policy
Media Sociology
Science Communication
Strategic Communication
Selecting the right doctoral program is a major decision. At the Missouri School of Journalism, our students will have the mentorship and assistance in job placement they need. Missouri graduates are represented in colleges and universities around the world, serving as deans, chairs and professors. Recent doctoral graduates are now on the faculties of Kansas, Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan State, Iowa, Colorado, Louisiana State, Georgia and other accredited journalism programs.
The Media Law, Ethics and Policy doctoral area allows you to address the latest ethical, legal and regulatory concerns confronting journalists and strategic communicators.
Faculty and students in this area study such topics as persuasion ethics, journalists ability to fulfill their normative functions in times of economic and technological change, the historical evolution of American broadcasting policy, comparative legal analysis and censorship.
You will join a team of scholars that blends traditional social scientific methods qualitative, quantitative and mixed methods with historical, legal and philosophical methods. This pluralistic approach to research excellence means you develop research that is of theoretical and practical interest. You graduate with a robust understanding of the normative and legal framework in which journalism and strategic communication operate.
